Study: Third-Generation Immigrants in Flanders Face Ongoing Discrimination Despite Progress

This study, which Integration Minister Gwendolyn Rutten does not wish to comment on, reveals that a quarter of the Flemish population is of foreign origin.

The third generation, representing around 150,000 people, shows little difference in certain areas compared to native Flemings. Their mastery of Dutch and their level of education are excellent, with a higher number of highly qualified people and fewer low-skilled people than in the Belgian population of origin. Similarly, 51% declare themselves non-believers.

In the job market, their performance is also superior, with an employment rate close to that of the Flemings. However, individuals from non-EU countries, particularly Morocco, Turkey and the Congo, feel more discrimination and feel less integrated.

This is the case of Imane Khammas, 28, an accountant in Laakdal, of Moroccan origin. Her grandparents emigrated from Casablanca to Belgium in the 1960s. Despite a Belgian education and a successful career, she still faces discrimination, both in the professional environment and in the search for housing.

"I was raised in Boom. We still have family in Morocco, so I still have a strong connection to this country. But I was born and raised here, I work here and my friends are mostly non-migrants," she confides to HLN. "With a Moroccan name and a different skin color, I often feel quickly labeled. It started in high school. The BSO (vocational) streams were mostly attended by students of foreign origin, and I was advised to follow this path, being told that I could never become a lawyer or an accountant. Fortunately, my parents knew how to resist."

Prejudices remain a major obstacle. "I am sometimes told that I speak Dutch well. What could be seen as a compliment is for me tinged with condescension.